WESTFIELD — The Amherst Regional girls cross country team really didn’t know how they were going to look as a program at the beginning of the season.
The team lost prolific runners Sophia Jacobs-Townsley and Julia Hopley to graduation after last season, and making up that difference has been no easy task. The Hurricanes don’t have a star-studded lineup this year, but have found a way to dominate with depth.
Amherst used its depth to take first place with 46 points at the PVIAC Championship at Stanley Park in Westfield on Saturday. The Hurricanes were led by Vivian Jacobs-Townsley (fifth, 19:52), Tamar Byl-Brann (sixth, 19:53) and Zada Forde (seventh, 19:54).
Northampton placed second, scoring a 48. Ludlow (third, 113), Mohawk Trail Regional (fourth, 133) and Minnechaug (fifth, 168) rounded out the top five.
Hampshire Regional (sixth, 188), Frontier Regional (ninth, 258) and Belchertown (10th, 258) placed in the top 10.
Emily Boutin of Pope Francis placed first in 17 minutes and 57 seconds. Agawam’s Sarah Ross (18:19) was second and followed by Northampton’s Mary Yount (18:56) and Ludlow’s Kendyl Vermette (19:12).
Maddie Shea (10th, 20:41) and Charlotte Staudenmayer (18th, 21:12) also scored for the Hurricanes.
Naomi Andrew (ninth, 20:37), Saraphina Forman (11th, 20:42), Maggie Reade (12th, 20:47) and Abigail Andrews (14th, 20:50) scored for Northampton.
“At the beginning of the season we didn’t know that this would be our main pack,” Forde said. “We practiced pack running a lot at the beginning of the season. Gradually we have moved up together. It’s so fun to run together. It feels like we are all doing the same thing. It feels good.”
The title was Amherst’s third straight at the PVIAC championship. Northampton has placed second each of the last three years and has consistently been a top-tier program in the area.
The two teams are used to competing against each other between the regular season, the PVIAC championships and the Western Massachusetts championships.
Both teams competed in a dual meet at the end of the regular season that decided the Valley North championship. Amherst beat the Blue Devils the finished the regular season undefeated.
“Today was really close,” Amherst coach Elena Betke-Brunswick said. “The dual meet was close, but this was closer. We had some great performances today from our whole team.”
The Hurricanes competed at an invitational meet at Brown University on Oct. 19 and had three runners finish in the top 20. One of the team’s goals coming into Saturday’s meet was to build off that performance.
“We all did really well at Brown last week, so I think we were just trying to run like that again. Run as a pack again,” Vivian Jacobs-Townsley said. “We are a really well-rounded group when we run together. Our strengths and weaknesses all balance out.”
Freshman Tamar Byl-Brann, who finished sixth on Saturday, has made a seamless transition into the Amherst varsity team after competing for the Amherst Middle School team last season.
“The whole environment of the team is welcoming,” Byl-Brann said. “It’s different from middle school, because middle school was like that, but it was also very competitive. It still is here, but you have a lot more mental support, which really helps.”
The Hurricanes hope to increase their streak of first places finishes at the Western Massachusetts Championship, Saturday at Northfield Mountain.
“I think we have a really strong team this year and would love to keep our streak going because we fought hard to start it,” Jacobs-Townsley said. “Northfield is a daunting course because of the hill, but if you run it smart and get through the first mile, the last two miles aren’t that bad. If you go in with a strong plan, it will go well. I’m feeling good.”
Northampton’s Mary Yount finished third at Stanley Park. Coming into the meet, Sophia Jacobs-Townsley had placed first at the last three championships. With her no longer in the field, Yount felt like the competition was wide open.
“I wanted to get second,” Yount said. “I just hadn’t seen Sarah Ross at any races, so I thought second seemed realistic. Emily (Boutin) is just a very strong runner and consistent, so I knew she would be in first. I’m a little disappointed, but I’ really excited for Western Mass..”
Yount felt like the 3.1-mile course at Stanley Park played toward her strengths as a runner.
“I really like this course. It’s downhill the first mile, so you get a quick first mile,” Yount said. “I like the second mile because it’s quiet, peaceful and flat. There’s no screaming. I excel in pushing during the flat areas.”